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8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016 Military beginning Public health: ‘We are always being challenged’ to recruit women for combat jobs Continued from Page 1A details. He is expected to sign a memo in the coming days telling the military to begin executing the plans WASHINGTON — The next month. The top Army and military services are already beginning to recruit women Marine Corps generals told for combat jobs, including as senators last month that it Navy SEALs, and could see will take up to three years to them serving in previously fully integrate women into male-only Army and Marine all combat jobs. And they Corps infantry units by this have insisted they will not fall, according to new plans lower standards for the com- endorsed by Defense Secre- bat posts or bow to pres- tary Ash Carter and obtained sure or quotas to get more women into the gru- by The Associated eling frontline jobs. Press. After a lengthy Some of the ser- review by the ser- vices predict that only vices and the Pen- small numbers of tagon, Carter in women will volunteer December ordered all or get through train- combat jobs open to ing courses, details of Ash women. The Marine the plans show. The Carter Corps initially sought Marine Corps esti- to keep certain infan- mates 200 women a year will move into ground try and combat jobs closed, combat jobs. And U.S. Spe- citing studies showing com- cial Operations Command bined-gender units are not as said it anticipates a “small effective as male-only units. number” of volunteers for its But Carter and Navy Secre- tary Ray Mabus rejected that commando jobs. The Navy said it is proposal. Since then, the military already collecting submis- sion packages from prospec- services have put together tive SEAL candidates and plans outlining exactly how could see women in entry- they will incorporate women OHYHO HQOLVWHG DQG RI¿FHU into the male-only units. The Marine Corps said training in September and October. The Navy started that having about 200 collecting the packages last women moving into com- bat jobs each year would month. All of the services say mean that they would make they have made required up less than 2 percent of changes to base bath- the Marines in those occu- rooms and other facilities to pations. The Corps would accommodate women, and use what it called a “team- they will monitor training, ing concept” that would try injury assessments, and pos- to assign two or more junior sible sexual harassment or enlisted women to the same unit. assault problems. The plan notes that so The plans have been under review by senior Pen- far no women have made it tagon leaders and have not through the Marine infan- WU\RI¿FHUFRXUVHDQGDGGHG been made public. Carter said Thursday that that, “we recognize there he accepted the services’ may be small numbers, and implementation recommen- the Services are prepared to dations, but provided no handle this.” By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press funding for such management by $20,000 in 2013. 2YHU WKH SDVW ¿YH \HDUV Clatsop County Public Health received nearly $600,000 less than what was budgeted. The department’s annual budget has remained about $2 million, yet expenses and salaries con- tinue to increase. The department has lost programs, funding and full- time positions since 2007. The three nursing positions DUHVSOLWDPRQJ¿YHSURJUDPV — communicable disease, general clinic, home visiting, Women, Infant and Children and family planning. Overcoming challenges “We try to rise to the occa- sion,” Mahoney said. “We are always being challenged.” A challenge came recently when one man with tubercu- losis exposed more than 100 people in the county. 6WDII KDG WR ¿QG ZKHUH the person with TB had been, how long he spent in those places and who was exposed. Every one of those people had to be tested and some had to be treated. Those who were WUHDWHG DUH DOPRVW ¿QLVKHG with their four-month regimen of daily medicine. Since last summer, seven communicable disease out- breaks occurred in Clat- sop County. The outbreaks ² GH¿QHG DV PRUH WKDQ WZR nonrelated people with the same disease — happened in schools, nursing homes and other congregated areas. “There is a lot of work that goes into trying to keep people from communicable diseases,” Mahoney said. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Patsylee Horeceny, a maternal child public health nurse, in her office at the Clatsop County Public Health Department. for the county is an epidemi- ologist, a professional who studies patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease in a population. Community support Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Sheri Salber, a public health nurse, talks on the phone at the Clatsop County Public Health Department office. have a lot of chronic diseases,” Mahoney said. “The killers now are heart disease, hyper- tension and diabetes.” Public health Each health department in modernization Overall, Mahoney said, Oregon is undergoing a state- public health departments wide assessment, called pub- have successfully treated acute lic health modernization. The GLVHDVHV VXFK DV LQÀXHQ]D RU effort was born out of the state tuberculosis. However, the Legislature. The departments are public health system is not set up to properly treat the recent reviewing their own capacity, capability, spending and costs. rise in chronic diseases. “We are at a point where we The self-assessments will be compiled into a plan for a pub- lic health modernization bill in the 2017 session. “We are rating ourselves on all of these various areas,” Mahoney said. The result of modernization will help departments under- stand the resources they have and need while looking toward the future. The idea is that every health department should have the same basic capabilities. One need Mahoney sees Moving forward, Mahoney said, a key to success for pub- lic health is working with the community. Public health plans to continue partnering ZLWK QRQSUR¿WV KRVSLWDOV DQG other organizations. Mahoney is also working with the county through the budget process. He is emphasiz- ing that funding prevention pro- JUDPV LV WKH PRVW HI¿FLHQW XVH of funds. For every dollar spent on prevention, Mahoney said, it saves $5.60 in health care costs. Clatsop County Commis- sioner Sarah Nebeker, who serves on the county’s Human Services Advisory Council, said education and an open dialog about health should be a priority for the community. “I would like to see far more funding for these pro- grams,” Nebeker said. “Our staff works very hard to do the best they can and meet as many needs as possible.” Break Free! From High Rates & Unfun Loans! 60-Days No Payments! Immediate Cash Rebate! 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